koastrc

We have a Thread about bad engines that turned into a engine man's dream. Talking about old engines, new engines, tools and experiences of engines in general. The thread was started about BAD ENGINES, or what not to buy. It turned into a wonderful set of stories by some very enthusiastic engine folks. I don't think the bean counters of the big model aviation company retailers understand the passion for engines. Next week we are having Cruising The Coast. 10,000 classic cars will fill our roads. Highway 90, our beach front Highway will be filled for twenty miles of beautiful works of art. Much like the classic car folks so goes our model air plane engines folks. We love the things. We keep buying the engines and will do so for a long time. Why? It is who we are. When Tower appears to have stopped selling Super Tigre engines we don't like it, Some how we know that something else will come along to replace those engines or some one else will sell them. Engine folks are a special breed. The heart of this wonderful sport/hobby. Model aircraft engines are good business. We are always looking for new ones, fixing old ones and buying things that go with them.
Thank you all for the great stories about the wonderful world of engines. A thread about bad engines and all was talked about was engines and all that goes with them.and how much we love them!

aspeed

Now how are we going to ***** about this thread? ;-)

earlwb

You are welcome.

Well there really used to be some "bad" engines. The DEEZIL was probably the ultimate classic rip off foisted onto the unsuspecting public. If you were even able to get one to run, usually a few seconds later the crankshaft bends and fails on them. The GHQ engines were another candidate, a few did run, probably made from casting kits by master craftsmen, the rest tended to all be junk too. Then there were the famous "slag engines", some notable examples were Rogers engines and Thor engines. These engines used a plain aluminum cylinder and ran the piston inside of it. The engines ran, but mostly not for all that long thoughl. I did run run one as a kid years ago, and it did work for the few weekends I ran it. it was much later when I found out it was a "slag engine" though. A number of years ago some members of SAM used to host a "slag engine" event where everyone would use a slag engine on their replica vintage airplanes. Interestingly enough they had pretty good success at running the engines OK. A company in Spain made a batch of "slag engines" too. Same thing with the aluminum cylinder, except they used unknown alloys and didn't put much quality or care in the manufacture of the engines at the time.


I have entertained the thought of making a new crankshaft for one of my DEEZIL engines. But I would need to make a new rod and piston and fit the piston to it as well.
So I haven't gotten around to it. I did miss out on getting one of the working replica DEEZIL engines that Gordon Burford made in Austrailia.

koastrc

Earl you have made my point. There has been some horrible engines in design and the materials they are made of. Yet a engine guy will try all sorts of things to make them run. Sit them some place were stories can be exchanged as we look at them. Like I said, engine folks are a great bunch. Every flying site seems to have a group of people that have some sort of hidden talent to make engines run. How many time haved we all seen it, that is the bunch of us that has been around for a while, a person will have some sort of problem. Then they take a deep breath and go to one or more of those engine dudes. Like magic a engine that just would not do right purrs along after some of the wizardry is applied by some old engine guy.
That is why to a engine man there is no "bad engines" just engines he hasn't got his hands on Yet. Look at you you Earl thinking about making a crankshaft for one of you old engines. We have got to love it! Never forget, we plug in toasters, blenders, food processors and other things. We fire up ENGINES!

falcon_56

To me glow engines are a hobby on its own.

Have I been frustrate by some? of course, but to me the journey is the destination.

I have nothing against electrics. I love the convenience of flying micros in my backyard. However, Ive realized that in todays economy it is easy to kill products when you buy something else.

Ive decided to use my hobby budget on glow and balsa instead of lithium and foam. Nothing against these products I just dont want the things I like gone forever because I gave all my money to their competition.

1QwkSport2.5r

I'm a self-proclaimed engine nerd. I've always been fascinated with mechanical things, engines in particular. I have some automotive background - I stuffed a 350 Chev into a 2wd S10 because I like the v8's sound. That's 6,500rpm of fun, but 16,000rpm (or even 36,000) is more fun. 'I can do that with THAT?' Sign me up!

earlwb

Yeah us engine guys tend to see it as a challenge sometimes to make something work anyway.

But I think it would be cool to actually have a running DEEZIL that can run more than one time. Plus a running GHQ engine that can run more than once too.

But when I was a teenager, I chopped a old Studebaker pickup truck and wound up with a short wheelbase truck with a mini-bed, a Dodge Hemi-V8 in it and a different rear end too. It had small wheels and tires on the front and big wide wheels and tires on the back. It was a lot of fun at the time.

Bill Adair

My Feedback: (1)

I used to drool over all those AHC slag engines when I was a youngster. They seemed to change brands every year, and now I know why. Happy to say that I could never afford one, and thus was spared the disappointment.

Bill